Chinatown hot spots fined for food breaches

Scott Bolles, Esther Han

Not so hot spots ... some of Chinatown's most popular restaurants fail to comply with food safety regulations.

SOME of Chinatown's biggest eateries have been fined for failing to comply with the food safety code as the Chinese New Year looms.

The Golden Century Seafood Restaurant on Sussex Street was fined $880 for storing food in a manner that increased the chance of contamination. Inspectors found raw meat hanging from shelves that were touching vegetables. Previous warnings had been given.

A popular yum cha destination Marigold Restaurant on George Street was fined the same amount for deep-frying ice-cream containing raw eggs. Inspectors said the cooks failed to take known steps "to achieve microbiological safety" when creating the popular dessert.

Both restaurants have appeared on the NSW Food Authority's ''name and shame'' list, along with the Yummy Chinese BBQ eatery in Haymarket, which had unclean and unsanitary food contact surfaces.

The Malaysian restaurant Mamak was also fined after staff manning its temporary food stall during the Malaysia Festival at Darling Harbour in September failed to store cooked eggs, a "potentially hazardous food under temperature control".

The City of Sydney said there was no co-ordinated crackdown on Chinatown restaurants, despite the register never before listing so many of its restaurants at one time.

''Last year the City adopted a new risk-rating system [under which] poor-performing businesses receive more frequent inspections,'' a representative said.